by Phil Plante

The step phase is the transition from the stance to the swing and is important for three reasons.  First, it gives you some forward momentum to quicken the swing, should you decide to swing.  Second, it controls the timing of your swing.  Step too early and you’ll tend to swing too early; step too late (or not at all) and you’ll probably swing late.  Third, it’s during the step phase that you must decide whether to continue to swing or to hold up.  If the pitch is to your liking, you will “pull the trigger” and continue swinging.  If the pitch is a ball, you will step but not swing.  But whether the pitch is a ball or a strike, and whether you swing through or not, you should step on every pitch.

The step phase involves two actions, loading and launching, which are discussed below.  For this reason, the step phase is also called the load-and-launch phase.

a.  BACKWARD LOAD.  As the pitcher goes into his leg kick, slightly rotate your front side (shoulder, hip, and knee) to a more closed position, away from the pitcher.  As you rotate, slightly lift the heel of your front foot so only the big toe is in contact with the ground.  The rotation will shift most (70%) of your weight onto your back foot.  This slight backward rotation is known as “loading” your swing.  Be sure NOT to move your head during the load – keep it still and fixed on the pitcher.  The backward load should be a small movement – do not exaggerate it.  IMPORTANT – do not wrap the bat behind your head as you load!  Try to keep the hands and bat still, anchored over your back foot.  If you wrap the bat behind your head, it will result in a very long swing.

b.  LAUNCH.  As the pitcher releases the ball, stride forward on a direct line toward the pitcher.  Do not step toward 3^rd base or 1^st base.  Do not turn your toe toward the pitcher; leave it pointed toward home plate.  Turning your foot will cause your hips and shoulders to open too early.  It’s very important to keep your knees, hips, and shoulders closed (turned away from the pitcher) during and after the stride.  Take a small step, about 6 to 10 inches.  Over-striding will cause your head to move and your back shoulder to tilt  down resulting in an uppercut swing.  Land only on the front toe of your stride foot and do not shift any weight onto it – pretend you’re stepping onto “thin ice” and must tread lightly.

Now here’s the key – as you step, keep your weight on the back foot and do not move your hands forward.  Leave the bat back over your back foot (which hasn’t moved).  The catch phrase for this is “step away from your hands.”  To do this, you must stretch your arms back a bit, which effectively “cocks” the bat, ready to be fired if you decide to pull the trigger.  This position, with your front foot forward, weight on the back foot, and the bat cocked for the swing, is called the “launch” position.  It may be the most important position in your swing!  In the photo above, the young hitter has just finished striding forward and is in the classic launch position, ready to swing at the incoming pitch.  Note that only the toe of the front foot is touching the ground and that the hitter's weight remains on the back foot.  Note also that the hitter’s arms are stretched back and the hands have remained directly over the back foot.  Does this young hitter look ready to swing or what!

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Here's a good sequence shot of a hitter in a balanced and centered stance (far left), and again in the launch position (near left), after he's loaded and taken his step.  In the second photo, you can tell that the hitter performed the backward load because his front side and hands are more closed than in the first photo.  The hitter has taken a small step forward and is touching only the toe of his front foot to the ground.  Note that not much else has changed between the two pictures: the elbows are still level and the head, shoulders, bat angle, and knee bend all remain the same.  When you step, only the front leg moves forward; everything else pretty much stays put and stays level.

 

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c.  Load AND Step, vice Load THEN Step.  As discussed above, loading and stepping are separate actions performed in sequence; first load, then step.  However, the two actions can actually be performed at the same time, resulting in a quicker swing.  It goes like this.

 

First, the hitter steps forward (6 to 8 inches) with his front foot, turning it 45 degrees toward the pitcher.  This slightly opens the hips.  The hitter lands on his front toe only, leaving the heel up slightly.  The hitter’s weight should be about centered (as opposed to back) and the front knee slightly flexed.  As the hitter strides, he slightly closes his upper body.  The opening of the lower body and closing of the upper body creates a twisting tension or load between them, like a twisted spring or wound up rubber band.

 

The launch position using this approach is a bit different than it is in the load then step approach.  The hitter’s front leg is flexed, his front foot turned half-way open (on the toe, heel up), and his weight centered vice mostly on the back leg.  The lower body is slightly open, but the upper body is slightly closed. 

 

The hitter will use the dropping of the heel as his trigger to swing.  When the heel drops, the front leg straightens pushing the front hip back.  At the same time, the hitter squashes the bug with his rear foot, releasing the twisting tension, driving the back hip forward, ending up in the same position at contact as he would using the load then step approach.

 

      d.   The NO STEP Approach.  In the no step approach, the hitter sets up much wider in his stance, as if he had already taken a step.  Nominally, the width of the stance should be about equal to the length of the hitter’s bat.  The hitter should have his weight exactly centered in the stance.  The batter then loads as described above, closing both the lower and upper bodies and lifting the front heel.  This will shift 2/3 of the weight onto the back leg.  The hitter then shifts his/her weight back to center, turning the front foot half-way open (45 degrees toward the pitcher), heel still up, front leg slightly flexed, ending up in the same launch position as described in the load and step approach: weight centered, front leg flexed, heel up, front foot turned 45 degrees toward the pitcher. 

 

Again the hitter will use the dropping of the front heel to trigger the swing.  When the heel drops, the front leg straightens pushing the front hip back.  At the same time, the hitter squashes the bug with his rear foot driving the back hip forward. 

 

The no step approach sounds as if it may be simpler; after all, you’ve eliminated one mechanical component of the swing.  However, the hitter has to assume a wider stance, which many players may not find comfortable. In addition, the hitter must still shift his/her weight from center to the back leg (2/3) then back to center.  So the hitter has to remember to do these things.  With a step, they just happen.

 

So which approach is best: load then step, load and step, or no step?  My answer is use the approach that works best for the hitter.  At the youth level of play (8-12), the load then step may be simpler for the hitters to remember and execute.  At more advanced levels, the load and step and no step approaches are quicker, and more typical of what professional players do.   But while some may be comfortable with a no step approach, others may not.  Go with what the hitter finds most natural and comfortable for him/her.